MP3 Player

As an avid user of my iPod, I was intrigued to see a post on the ListServe about the uses of MP3 players or iPods in the classroom. I must be honest, I only use my iPod for personal, music use. An avid collector of music I have roughly 16,000 songs on my iPod. However, I have always been skeptical of how this portable music player could be used in the classroom. The post by Miguel Guhlin changed my stance.

(http://www.mguhlin.net/archives/2007/04/entry_3123.htm)

Miguel uses the iPod, or MP3 to teach students learning English as a second language. This is a great tool for this very difficult task. Students are given the opportunity to listen to the sounds of English and follow along while they read. They can speak into a recorder to hear their own voices played back to them to check their diction. The player can then save the sounds for later practice and use. Very cool.

When thinking of the uses of an iPod or MP3 player in a high school history classroom, I still have my doubts. I believe the device could be used, but not with the effectiveness that an ESL teacher may be able to use the tool. Podcasts for students to download would be the most viable way to use the player. However, when you see your students everyday, the ideas brought from the podcast would probably be covered during the day's lesson. Sometimes students have a hard enough time listening to me in class, I can't imagine them wanting to listen to someone else talk about a historical subject. This being said, I do think if a topic was presented well in the podcast format it could be a nice vacation, or weekend assignment when the kids are away from school.

Cyber Bullying

I can across a few articles posted on the ListServe this week which dealt with cyberbullying. It is amazing how the world is connected in some cosmic way. Last evening I got an email from a student at school with a link to a website. This website was a "Burn Book" for the class of 2009. In the post, there were numerous students listed by name. These students were insulted in awful ways meant to demean their appearance, actions, sexual orientation, their friends, even their parents. It was shocking for me to read because a person not from the Internet age, to be this out in the open with your insults was remarkable. This is posted, literally, for the world to read. Disgusting. As a kid, it would be unimaginable to have your dirty laundry placed on the Internet. If it was scrawled on the bathroom wall, you could always erase it, but the Internet is something else. There must be a way for schools to police this type of action, especially if the student posting is from the school injured. I am afraid that schools will be fearful to take action because the actions took place outside the school computer, or off school grounds. Lawmakers need to put into place laws which protect the schools which punish these assaults from their own students. Otherwise, students will continue to insult each other in very public ways.

Times have changed.

Social Software

The Social Software found on the del.icio.us software is tremendous. As a teacher who is always on the look out for good information, these types of sharing websites can be invaluable. Finding common interests between users can be very helpful. For example, I have targeted an excellent World War I website. The web (no pun intended)of other websites is enormous. Since other users favorites are accessible, a search of your favorite site can lead to so many different possibilities. Secondary lesson plans, websites from Australia, and searches of key word really open doors for teachers conducting research. In addition, students looking to conduct research on a specific topic will have access to potential websites that do not come up from huge Google searches. A good way to focus your research by topic area.

Chapter 7

When examining the best ways to use the Internet as a research tool it struck me just how many students do not follow through synthesizing or evaluating their work. The "Big 6" demonstrates how a student needs to look at each of the stages when evaluating their work. Too many times students jump right into the material without ever sifting through he information is relevant, or valid. Many times a student will look to see if the information found fits into what they have to research, or write about, and assume that it is good to go. As someone who is going to be using a lot more technology in my classroom this is going to pose a significant challenge. Along with the traditional history the students will need to learn, following the researching steps will be equally important for my students. I do not want them to fall into the trap that plagues many students when researching on the Internet: bad information.

The authentic assessment described in the chapter also presents a challenge for me going forward into a technology classroom. As a chalk and board teacher, many of the assessments discussed in the chapter like PowerPoint's, and in class presentations of worthwhile material have been difficult. Not having access to a computer lab which would benefit every student made this very difficult. Now with more computers at my disposal, something like the "Short Investigations" is something that would be very worthwhile in the classroom. It would give students a chance to investigate an current class issue out of the traditional classroom setting and give their brain a chance to engage into another activity. Very cool.

Chapter 5

Locating information on the internent can be a daunting task. Teaching a survey course on European History has taught me this fact. Trying to find some information in "Google" on Elizabeth I, or the Russian Revolution can bring millions of hits. The search engines given in the Chapter 5 reading help to address this situation. These search engines will be a definite help when trying to help students research. Looking to a website which specealizes on a certain topic, rather than a general search in to the vast world wide web, will greatly enhance the information a student can acquiure and reduce the frustration they often feel when researching.

Aggregator

When examining the potential uses for the aggregator, I have found that it would be very useful for a government/current events class. Students would be able to track a specific story through The New York Times, cnn.com, or other newpapers. As a former government teacher, students would often claim they could not "find" an article with the proper story. The aggregator would rectify this situation. Many sources would be alaivable and this could really solve the problems the students face.

The issue could also be used in a European Studies class. As a course which involves so many "old" ideas, students often feel a disconnect with the material. A potential current event assignment could be done to find recent stories about the foreign nations we are studying. Therefore, the students would feel a connect between a long ago time/place and the issues facing that nation today.

Office 2007

Reading a listserve on Office 2007, the author seems to think that the new Office is better than the older, 2003, version. http://drmabell.blogspot.com/2007/11/office-07good-bad-ugly-all-of-these.html

After reading her post I find it hard to agree. Mary Ann seems to think the best part about the new Office is the "wordcount". I find it hard to believe that the best part of the new Office is the easiness of counting the words. I find the new Office to be rather confusing after finally getting used to the handling of the 2003 Version. The layout is nice and easy to use, but as with anything, you must use it all the time to get used to the new programs. My one complaint is that many computers, including the ones at school, use the 2003 Version. Therefore, I need to save it in a different format to open my documents at school. Not everyone knows this and it can frustrating for people, especially students looking to turn in work.

NCLB

I recently read an article given to me by a fellow classmate and colleague. It was about a teacher who refused to administer the NCLB test in his classroom. He ended up giving it the next day, to keep his job, but his decision to boycott the test was interesting. The NCLB is very controversial in the realm of education and is something which sparks great debate. As a teacher, I feel the test is unfair as it places enormous pressure on schools and students to do well. As a teacher in a reasonably wealthy school district the pressures have not yet hit home, but I can not imagine the pressure of a poorer district where the test is staring them in the face. I remember being at a meeting when our superintendent said what year we would not pass the AYP (Annual Yearly Progress). It was remarkable that we know that we will fail the AYP because the expectations are not possible: 100% proficient by 2014!

The tests which the teacher decided to boycott are extremely biased. Not every student learns the same way, and to assess students the same way across the country is absurd. The matters facing our schools are a local issue and should be handled locally. Instead of testing the students there should be greater responsibility on the teachers and administrators for making sure that students are learning. There are many teachers out there who do a spectacular job at teaching their students. Their students learn and can show it based on the assessment given in class. Those who do not meet the requirements of the job should be placed on notice by an overseeing administrator.

Of course this is easy in an affluent school district where the parents are involved, the students are motivated, and the teachers are very qualified. However, in other school districts the answers are not so easy. Rebuilding the school as a center of the community is a must, so that students will feel safe at school and want to attend. If schools are a place of pride, there will be a greater emphasis on learning from the student and the cycle of falling achievement can be broken. This is obviously not the only answer, but I feel it is the best place to begin.

As for the teacher who refused to give the NCLB test, good for him. The politicians need to know that catchy slogans like "No Child Left Behind" may win elections, but they do not advance the cause of education.

Virtual Tours

As a teacher who has recently been given access to an online classroom (laptops and smartboard) I have found some really cool places on the web. I am an old fashioned teacher with chalk and a board, so having a new technology centered class seems a bit daunting. This new website I found on the ListServe seems like it could be a real help. It is a great way for Social Studies teachers to bring students closer to many of the around the world places that are impossible in a traditional classroom. It is a website of "field trips" to different places and times. The website was created by different teachers and students and provides a possible blueprint for a similar project a teacher may use in their classroom.

http://www.uen.org/utahlink/tours/

First Blog

Well, it is finally up and running. I thought I would never have a blog in my life!

Oops

Just wanted to see if this is going to work.

Blogging